Design of timber joists

Task:
Determine the size of timber joists for the first floor of a typical dwelling house. The
joists are spaced at 400 centres.
Assume the design load to be 2.25 kN/m2.
Modulus of elasticity of timber = 10 700 N/mm2
Strength of grade C24 timber = 7.5 N/mm2 (in bending)

Solution:
The sectional and the plan views are shown in Figure App8.1. The spacing between the
joists is 400 mm or 0.4 m. Assume the size of the joists to be 50 200 mm for calculating
the dead load of the joists. Every 1 m length of a typical joist supports the loading from
an area of 0.4 m 1.0 m, shown as the hatched area in Figure App8.1b.

Joists
18 mm thick floor boards
Timber joist
50 x 200 mm

12 mm thick
plasterboard
a)
0.4 m x 1.0 m
section

Figure App8.1 Timber floor

udl per metre length of a joist = 0.4 1.0 2.25 kN/m2

b)

= 0.9 kN
Figure App8.2 shows how this udl acts on the joist.

0.9 kN/m (udl)

A

4m
R 2 = 1.8 kN

R 1 = 1.8 kN

Figure App8.2

Maximum Bending moment occurs at the middle of the joist, i.e. point C.

B.M. at C =
M = f Z,

w l2
8 =

0.9 4.0 2
8
= 1.8 kN-m or 1.8 1000 1000 N-mm

where M is the maximum B.M., f is the strength of timber in bending

and z is the section modulus.

M=fz=

f bd2
6
where

bd2
6 =z

(b is the width and d is the depth of

joists)
Let us assume the width of the joist to be 50 mm

1.8 1000 1000 =

d2 = 28 800

7.5 50 d 2
6
(f = 7.5 N/mm2, b = 50 mm)

or d = 169.7 mm

Use 50 200 mm joists at 400 c/c

Check for deflection: Maximum allowable deflection = 4000 360 = 11.1 mm

Actual deflection =

5 w l4
384 E I

Second moment of area, I =

Actual deflection =

b d3
12 =

50 200 3
12
= 3.33 107 mm4

5 0.9 4000 4
384 10 700 3.33 10 7

= 8.4 mm < 11.1 mm, therefore Safe.